East Central University senior Iva Asllani, a political science major from Tirana, Albania, won the award for Best Undergraduate Paper of the Year by the Oklahoma Political Science Association, it was announced recently at Cameron University in Lawton.

Asllani’s paper titled ‘The Use of Precedent in U.S. Supreme Court Oral Argument’ was inspired by her viewing U.S. Supreme Court oral arguments as the personal guest of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg last March.

A political science class from East Central University recently raised $725 and awareness for children’s hunger.

Dr. Christine Pappas’ Political Science 1113 classes did a service learning project where they purchased 200 orange bracelets that say ‘No Child Should Go Hungry’ and sold them on campus and at ECU football games.

On Nov. 20, approximately 40 students participated in a ‘Day Without Food’ and fasted for up to 30 hours to build understanding for hungry children.

East Central University Professor of Communication Studies Dr. Robert Greenstreet served on two panels at the annual National Communication Association Convention in Orlando, Fla. In his first panel, Greenstreet joined select representatives from other colleges and universities in discussing efforts to encourage highly apprehensive students in the basic communication courses at ECU. “Since highly apprehensive people avoid communication, it is very difficult for these students to complete the general education speech course required by their major area of study,” Greenstreet said.

East Central University is going within the family to hire its new director of athletics.

“We received numerous qualified applications from all over,” said ECU President John Hargrave. “But at the end of the day we decided that the best person for the job was right here on campus. We are very excited to have found such an outstanding person. He really encompasses everything we were looking for.”

Dr. Jeff S. Williams, who has served as chair of ECU’s Department of Kinesiology for the past two years, will assume the director of athletics post, beginning Jan. 1, 2013.

A scholarship, in memory of Jeremy Harrel, has been established for a Pauls Valley High School senior who plans to attend East Central University.

Harrel, who was an ECU sophomore majoring in business, died in a car wreck on Dec. 6, 2011 and, with the one-year anniversary of his passing approaching, friends, family and the ECU Foundation have established a memorial scholarship in his honor.

Five East Central University senior students – Blake Hargrove, Jack Aday, Brandon Arnold, Candace Sweatt and Dinah Boydstun - are showcasing their art exhibits from now until early December at the Pogue Art Gallery inside the Hallie Brown Ford Fine Arts Center.

East Central University's mission is to foster a learning environment in which students, faculty, staff, and communityinteract to educate students for life in a rapidly changing and culturally diverse society. Within its service area,East Central University provides leadership for economic development and cultural enhancement.